Kinejun Motion Picture Times

Kinejun magazine featuring a blurb of Unico.

About the Magazine

Kinejun (or Kinema Junpo) is Japan’s oldest motion picture magazine still in publication today. In July 1919, Saburo Tanaka and four other students at the Tokyo Higher Technical School (now Tokyo Institute of Technology) launched a four-page art paper magazine dedicated to foreign films, published on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month. Depending on the issue, Kinejun features top 10 lists, interviews, reviews, and more. In this issue, there were several pages in color and black and white about Unico.

Kinejun (Kinema Junpo) Motion Picture Times
March 1981 Issue # 807
Page 11

Osamu Tezuka’s well-loved “Unico,” which was once serialized in all-color in the magazine “Lyrica,” has been made into an animated film. Based on the legendary magical unicorn, this is a fantasy story of love and adventure in which the child, Unico, meets various friends, fights a great demon, and brings happiness to people. The main character, Unico, as well as his good friends Akuma-kun and Chao the kitty cat, are all active on the screen, making this a good quality animation. Toshio Hirata is the director, known for “Jungle Emperor” and “Moomin” on TV, and the animation director is Akio Sugino, who is now number one in terms of popularity and ability for such works as “Ace wo Nerae!” (Aim for the Ace!) and “Ashita no Joe 2” (Tomorrow’s Joe 2). Art direction is by Kazuo Oga, screenplay by Masaki Tsuji, set up by Masao Maruyama and Jiro Saito, setting cooperation by Moribi Murano, music by Masahiko Sato, and the songs by Iruka. A short pilot version of about 30 minutes was made, which was then adapted into a film and carefully screened.

日本語:

キネマ旬報
1981年3月 807号

ページ 11

かつて雑誌 「リリカ」にオールカラーで連載さ れて話題を呼び、 好評を博した手塚治虫の 「ユニ コ」がアニメ映画化された。 伝説上の幻の生物ユニコーンを題材にし、その子供ユニコが様々の仲 間と出会い, 大悪魔と戦い, 人々を幸せにしていく、愛と冒険のファンタジーだ。 主人公のユニコ はもちろんのこと, 仲良しの悪魔くんや子ネコの チャオなど可愛いキャラクターが画面せましと活 躍する,ひさびさの良質アニメといえよう。 演出 はTV「ジャングル大帝」 「ムーミン」 などの平田 敏夫、作画監督は「エースをねらえ!」 「あしたの ジョー2」など今や人気・実力ともにナンバー| の杉野昭夫, 美術は男鹿和雄, 脚本は辻真先, 設 定は丸山正雄と斉藤次郎, 設定協力は村野守美, 音楽は佐藤允彦, 挿入歌はイルカ。 一度, 30分程 の短編パイロット版を作り,それを経ての今回の 映画化とていねいな画面作りをしている。

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